Combined outboard motor and snowplow



March 25, 1958 w. G. HYDE 2,82

COMBINED OUTBOARD MOTOR AND SNOWPLOW Filed Oct. 21, 1955 INVENTOR. WESLEY 6. HYM

United States COMBINED OUTBOARD MOTOR AND SNOWPLOW This invention relates to a combined outboard motor and sidewalk snowplow.

It is an important object of this invention to utilize an outboard motor, which is conventionally idle during winter months in those regions having snow and ice, so as to provide a convenient and cheap power source for a small snowplow.

It is another object of the invention to provide an outboard motor and snowplow combination wherein a portion of the outboard motor is removed and the remainder is mounted and connected in novel manner to the snowplow frame and rotor.

It is a further object of the invention to utilize an exhaust structure of an outboard motor in a snowplow combination unit wherein the exhaust gases will be somewhat muflied and, at the same time, will assist in ejecting snow from the unit.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a cooperative cooling system in a combination of the class described wherein heat may be transferred from the engine coolant to snow as it is ejected from the apparatus.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description, made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the several views and in which:

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of my combined outboardmotor and snowplow;

Figure 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the lower portion of my combined unit, showing the rotor and snowgathering mechanism; and

Figure 3 is a vertical section of my combined unit taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, all of the outboard motor elements being shown in full line.

With continued reference to the drawing, my invention contemplates the combination of a conventional outboard motor indicated generally at and so conditioned as to be capable of uniting and combining with a small snowplow 11.

The outboard motor 10 is of ordinary construction havmg an internal combustion engine 12 at the upper end thereof which, in turn, is provided with a drive shaft housing 13 depending therefrom and terminating in a thin rudder 14 at its lower end. The outboard motor 10 is further provided with clamping means 15, usually comprising a pair of brackets 16 in opposed relation to a clampingjaw 17, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Threaded screw clamps 18'are threadably mounted in bracket 16 and are provided with respective jaw members 19 opposed to the jaw 17. The drive shaft housing 13 also has a propeller shaft housing 20 from which propeller shaft 21 extends rearwardly and laterally.

A propeller (not shown) is ordinarily secured to propeller shaft 21 and so pitched and directed as to push water rearwardly of the housing 13 when the outboard motor is used for its conventional purpose. The outboard motor 10 is also provided with an exhaust port 22 for underwater discharge of combustion gases. A cooling aren't system of ordinary construction, is associated with the internal combustion engine, details of which are well understood in the art and are not illustrated herewith. The conventional outboard motor 10, however, has a cooling water inlet 23 and an outlet 24 for discharging cooling water after it has picked up heat from the internal combustion engine.

The snowplow portion 11 of my combination unit has a frame structure 25 which terminates upwardly and rearwardly in a hand grip 26, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. A

cross plate 27 is rigidly secured across frame 25 and provides means for engaging the mounting clamp 15 of the outboard motor 10'. When mounted as shown in Figs; 1 and 3, the outboard motor will be substantially vertical in position. At the lower end of frame 25 are secured a pair of bearings 28 in axially aligned relation for receiving a wheel shaft 29. Ground contacting wheels 30 are secured at each end respectively of shaft 29 to permit pivotal rocking of the entire unit and wheeled support during use of the snowplow combination. A clamping cradle 31 is secured to the lower end of frame 25 and comprises a pair of converging plates 32 which are adapted to surround the rudder 14 of outboard motor 10 and may be lined with a resilient sheet at each'side such as the rubber sheet 33 so as to prevent scratching and marring of the rudder 14. A pair of clamping bolt members 34 pass through thepair of plates 32 one forwardly of the rudder 14 and the other rearwardly thereof so as to pull the plates 32 together in clamping engagement when the clamping bolts are tightened. The clamping cradle 31 has sufl'icient resilience to removably engage and hold the aforesaid rudder 14 when the clamping bolts 34 are tightened.

Forwardly of the frame 25 'at a lower position is rigidly secured a blower housing 35. The housing ispreferably cylindrical in shape for its lower portion and terminates upwardly in a discharge 36 as shown in Fig. 2. The housing has a circular opening 37 which faces forwardly of the unit and a snow scoop 38 is secured thereabout. The scoop 38 terminates forwardly in an edge 39 and in side boards 40 at the respective sides of the blower housing 35 and secured to the front wall 41 thereof. The rearwall 42' of blower housing 35 containsa bearing 43 which is secured rigidly in axial alignment with propeller shaft 21 with the outboard motor 10 in mounted position. A blower fan 44 is secured to a shaft 45 which is rotatably mounted in bearing 43 and may be rotatably secured to propeller shaft 21 by means of the axial coupling 46.

In heat transferring relation with the blower housing 35, is a fluid-tight tank 47 as shown in Fig. 3. A fluid line 48 interconnects the cooling water inlet 23 of the outboard motor 10 with the outlet 49 of tank 47. Another fluid line 50 interconnects the discharge 24 of the cooling system with the inlet 51 of tank 47. A closed circulating system for cooling water is thus constructed with the heat exchange occurring principally at the juncture of the tank 47 with the rear wall 42 of the blower housing 35.

An exhaust extension 52 is mounted in fluid communication with the exhaust port 22 and passes through rear wall 42 of housing 35 with the terminus 53 directed in the same general direction as the blower outlet 36.

The use and operation of my combined unit will be obvious from the. foregoing description. The outboard motor 10 is started so as to rotate the blower fan 44. Warm circulating water will pass from the outlet 24 through conduit or fluid line 50 to the heat exchanging tank 47 from which heat is picked up by the rear wall 42 and transferred to snow within the blower housing 35. The chilled cooling fluid then passes through the outlet 49 and into the connecting line or tube 48 from which it passes into the motor cooling inlet 23. Exhaust gases pass outwardly through port 22 and into the exhaust extension 52 from which these gases are ultimately discharged in an upward direction from the outlet end 53. Noise of the exhaust will be muflled and the force of ejection of these gases-will'assist in ejecting snow from positioning of wheels 30 and shaft 29-is such that the composite parts of the combination arewell'balanced and yet function with maximum efiiciency. When it is desiredto dismantle the'piow and use the 'outboard motor in its normal function, the outboard motor clamp 15 and the cradle clamp 31 areloosened' for removal of the outboard motor and the propeller assembly can again be secured to shaft 21.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangements and the propeller shaft, and a coupling drivably connecting said propeller shaft and said fan shaft for blowing collected snow outwardly of the blower housing.

4. The combination with an outboard motor having a mounting clamp, a depending drive shaft housing, and a laterally extending propeller shaft, positioned adjacent the lower end of said drive shaft housing, the propeller having been removed therefrom; of a frame structure having manual handle means extending rearwardly at an upper position thereon, a laterally secured cross plate rigidly secured in said frame structure forwardly of the handle means for engagement by said motor mounting clamp, a clamping cradle at a lower position upon said frame structure for removably clamping the lower terminus of the outboard motor drive shaft housing, a blower housing having forwardly. facing inlet means for' 'scooping snow thereinto and mounted rigidly to said proportion of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is: p a '1. The combination with an outboard motor' having a mounting clamp, a depending drive shaft housing, and

"a laterally extending propeller shaft positioned adjacent the lower end of said drive shaft housing, the propeller having been removed therefrom; of a frame structure having means at an upper position thereon for holding'said motor clamped engagement, a blower housing having inlet means for scooping snow thereinto. and 'mounted I rigidly to said frame at a lower position, a fanand shaft secured together and journaled in said housing and being aligned with said propeller shaft, and a coupling drivably connecting said propeller shaft and said fan shaft for blowing collected snow outwardly of the blower housing.

2. The combination with an outboard motor having a mounting clamp, a depending drive shaft housing, and

a laterally extendingpropeller shaft positioned adjacent the lower end of said drive shaft housing, the .propeller having been removed therefrom; of a frame structure having means at an upper position thereon for cooperatively holding said motor'with the mounting clamp, and further having a clamping cradle at a' lower position. for

removably holding thelower endof 'said depending drive shaft housing, a-blowerhousing having inlet means for scooping snow thereinto and mounted, rigidly 'to said frame at a lower position forwardly of said clamping 1 cradle, afanand shaftsecured together and jourrialed in said blower housing in axial alignment withflsaid propeller shaft, and acoupling drivably connecting said 1propellershaftand said fan shaft for blowing collected snow outwardly of theblower housirigg 3. The combination Withan, outboard motor thaving a .mounting clamp, a depending drive", shaft housing, a

cooling system terminatingexternally in an inlet passageway and an'outlet passageway, and a laterally extending propeller shaft positioned adjacent the lowerendlof said drive shaft housing, the propeller having beenfremoved :therefrom; of a frame structure having means-atsaid upper. position for holding said motor in clamped engagement thereon, a blower-housing having inlet means for Lscooping snowthereinto. and 'mounted rigidly to said frame ata lower position, a fluid-tight heat exchanger mounted in contactwith the rear ofsaid blowerjhousing t and connected'to said inlefand said outlet passageway 'of the cooling system for transferring heatrfrom coolant to snow as it is ejected from said blower housing, a fan having a shaft axially secured thereto and journaled in frame at a lower and forward position thereon, a fan and shaft assembly rotatably journaled .in said blower housing and having driving connection with said propeller shaft, and .a supporting wheel assembly having a horimounting. clamp,-a depending drive shaft housing, a

laterally extending propeller shaft positioned adjacent the lower end of said drive shaft housing, an exhaust port and a coolant outlet, the propeller having been removed from :said propeller shaft; of a,.frame structure having means .at an upper position for. holding said mo-' tor in clamped-engagement with said frame, a blower housing having inlet means for scoopingsnow thereinto mounted rigidly to said frameat a lower position thereon, and further having an .upwardlytextending outlet for ejectingsnow laterally of the direction of travel, a fan shaft axiallyaligned with said propeller shaft and journaled through the rear of said blower housing, ,a blower fan secured to said shaftand rotatably mountedwithin said blower housing, .a coupling drivably connecting said propeller shaft and said .fan shaft, atubular nozzle terminating within the blower housing in the samegeneral direction as the blower housing outlet, at fluid-tight container mounted in heat-transferring relation to the outer rear surface ofsaid blower housingand in opposed relation with said blower fan, said tubularnozzle andsaid fluid-tight container respectively communicating with the conventional exhaustport andcoolant outlet of said outboard'motor whereby snow will be prevented from building up and accumulating 1 on the inner surface of said blower h0using.- a

' References Cited the file of thispatent 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS 7 2,474,840 Greer r July 5, 1949 2,518,093, Sutter, Aug..8, 1950 2,587,415 Vanvick Feb. 26, 195.2 2,589,376 .Eil-Iarmsen 1 Mar. 18, 1952 2,595,484 Ritchey May 6, 1952 2,732,638 1 Leufvenius- Jan. 31,1956

' EOREI GN r A'rnN'rs 181,981 Switzerland June 16 1 936 1951 said blower housing, said shafhbeing axially aligned with Switzerland May 16, 

